Family Matters
by Kelly of the midnight dawn
Summary: They weren't just a group of friends, they were a family. When one of them hurt, they all hurt. Shelma, Fraphne romance group friendship. Rated T for some mature situations and not to graphic descriptions of child abuse
1. Chapter 1: Split Seconds

**Family Matters**

**Chapter 1: Split Seconds**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Scooby Doo or any of the characters from said fandom.**

**A/N: I have not given up on writing "Kiss The Girl" but I just thought I'd write something based in the "What's New Scooby Doo" universe. I hope you all enjoy it. Expect a lot of "What's New Scooby Doo" universe stories from me because that universe seems to come more naturally to me for writing. Expect lots of Shelma and lots of Fraphne in this story. As always reviews are greatly appreciated and though I don't appreciate negative comments I don't mind a little constructive criticism.**

"Like where are we again?" Shaggy asked from his place in the back of the Mystery Machine.

"We're headed to Sedona Arizona," Velma reminded him, turning around in her seat to face him. She half smiled at him before she continued "I told you that three times already."

Shaggy shrugged "Sorry Velma, I like forgot…" Scooby Doo mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over beside Shaggy. A small grin formed on Shaggy's face as he watched his best pal's front paws begin to move as if Scooby was chasing something, or more likely, considering their luck, running from something.

"Are you sure you know where you're going Fred?" Daphne asked a few moments later.

Fred nodded "I'm positive," he replied, turning ever so slightly to gaze sidelong at her.

Daphne smiled a little bit before she caught herself. She averted her gaze as she felt a blush creep up her cheeks. She was about to mentally berate herself for the momentary lapse when she heard Velma shriek.

"Fred watch out!" The sound of Velma's voice awoke Scooby who instantly was on the alert. Shaggy and Scooby both leaned forward to see what was happening.

On the road in front of the Mystery Machine a small girl had just run out in pursuit of a bouncing green ball. Fred jammed on the brakes as fast as humanly possible and veered off to the side. The next few seconds were filled with the sounds of buckling metal and the terrified screams of the van's occupents. When the dust had cleared Fred was cradling one arm, Velma was holding the shattered pieces of her glasses in her scratched up hands and Daphne was murmuring to herself as she tried to push open the passanger's side door and hobble out.

Aside from a few bumps, scrapes and bruises Shaggy and Scooby were unharmed. They quickly climbed out and started assisting their friends.

"Daphne," Fred said worriedly as Scooby helped him to his feet. Fred seemed steady on his feet but he did wobble for the first few steps before getting his barings, his arm was definitely broken though.

"I'm alright Freddy," Daphne reassured him as she plopped herself down by the side of the road. "My ankle got twisted is all. I'll be fine."

Fred sat down beside her and draped his good arm around her shoulders. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Daphne smirked at him "I'm sure silly," she told him "You look like you've seen a ghost or something. And your arm…" she seemed to only just then realize that Fred's left arm hung at an odd angle. She leaned closer "Fred," she whispered, reaching out tenderly to inspect the injured appendage "We've gotta get you to a doctor."

Fred shrugged her concern off "Same goes for you," he retorted.

Meanwhile Shaggy pulled Velma from the wrecked Mystery Machine and set her tenderly on the ground. She was a little wobbly at first but she managed to stand under her own power. He took her blood covered hands into his and examined them. "Like, what happened?" he asked, looking down at the many cuts that ran along her fingers and across her palms.

Velma shook her head and instantly regretted the action as it made her feel dizzy, she began falling forward but Shaggy caught her and righted her almost instantly "The glass from the shattered windshield must have got me worse than I thought." She finally answered. It was then that she attempted to look around "My glasses," she exclaimed.

"They broke in the accident," Shaggy explained to her.

Velma again shook her head and again fell forward only to be caught by Shaggy "Not good," she remarked.

"You're telling me," Shaggy countered "We need to get you, Fred and Daphne like to a hospital as soon as possible."

"I'm fine," Velma insisted but as she said this she swayed.

"Not buying it," Shaggy said as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to were Fred and Daphne were sitting on the curb. He set her down gently before pulling away to look at her. As an after thought he leaned in again and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

Velma's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open but just as she was about to say something a panic stricken voice broke the silence first.

"Oh my Gosh!" A teenage girl with wavy blond locks that seemed to bounce as she moved towards them, shrieked. "Are you guys alright?"

XXX

Daphne hobbled towards a seat in the waiting room on her crutches. Shaggy and Scooby were already there with Velma whose hands were now not much more than piles of gauze and surgical tape. Shaggy got up and helped Daphne to a seat before placing her crutches within easy reach. He handed her a bottle of water that he had bought earlier from a vending machine in the corridor.

"Any news yet?" Daphne asked as she unscrewed the top of the bottle and took a drink, letting the cool refreshing liquid roll down her parched throat.

Shaggy nodded "It's a bad break," he informed her "It'll be at least another hour before they have it fully set." He returned to his seat beside Velma.

"We're lucky that we were so close to a hospital," Velma remarked as she ran a bandaged hand over her eyes. She had been relying heavily on Shaggy to help her since she didn't have her glasses to aid her. The doctor had gotten in contact with her optometrist back home and had sent out a prescription for the lenses she needed but it would be another week before they arrived.

"Like yeah…" Shaggy looked from Velma to Daphne to the door that lead towards the operating room where Fred was having his arm set to Scooby who worriedly paced the waiting room floor on all fours, occasionally stopping at the door that lead to the operating room and whimpering worriedly before returning to where Shaggy sat. "Lucky…" Shaggy murmured.

No one had been able to find the little girl after the accident but there had been no blood on the outside of the Mystery Machine so it seemed as if the girl, thankfully escaped unharmed. The green ball still remained and had come to rest right under the Mystery Machine's front left tire.

Shaggy who had somehow found himself in charge with Fred being in need of surgery, had found a mechanic who could fix the Mystery Machine for them. The only catch was that it wasn't gonna be a cheap fix and it would take at least ten days if they were lucky. Shaggy sighed and turned again to look at Velma.

The doctor had said that her dizziness and lack of balance most likely had to do with her overcompensating to make up for not having her glasses. Shaggy hoped that was all it was, then again since he had rarely seen Velma without her glasses it was easy to believe. She seemed incredibly comfortable wearing them; he'd even seen her sleeping with them on more than one occasion.

The next forty five minutes were filled with the most glib of conversations between the group as they waited for news on Fred. Shaggy made several trips to the vending machines but not to stuff his face as he usually would, he was too worried about all of his friends and the accident was too fresh in his mind for him to be thinking about food. He made the vending machine trips primarily to do some thinking.

Ghosts and ghouls and freaks in costumes were the norm. Sure Fred's driving had gotten them into a few close calls and the Mystery Machine seemed to break down on a whim but they'd never actually gotten into an accident like that before. It was an entirely new level of terrifying for Shaggy when he had seen how badly his friends had been injured and he couldn't help wondering how it was that he and Scooby had been so lucky to escape the crash with only the most minor of injuries. He couldn't remember the accident itself very well. The last thing he remembered before hand was Velma telling Fred to look out and the little girl running in front of them. Everything afterwards was a blur until after the Mystery Machine had already crashed. The first thing that had caught his eye was Velma's bleeding hands.

After a quick glance to his side to make sure that Scooby was safe he and his canine friend had sprung into action. He had noticed Fred's broken arm and would have gone to aid his friend if Scooby hadn't beaten him to it. Daphne was already outside of the van and Scooby jestured with a paw at Velma, indicating that Shaggy should help her while Scooby would see to Fred. Shaggy had done so almost feverishly as he leant over through the driver's side door, or what was left of it. He couldn't shake the image from his mind of those bleeding hands and the terrified look on Velma's face.

Shaggy had sunk into a seat by the vending machines and was deep in thought when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Velma, looking a little bit confused but mostly concerned. She took the seat next to him "You alright?" she asked softly.

"Like, not really," he admitted. He reached over and took one of her bandaged hands into his.

Velma looked down, not that she could really see much detail in the floor below her feet but she would rather focus on that at the moment. "I suppose it could have been far worse," she remarked finally.

Shaggy nodded "Like, yeah, that's like what really scares me…" he murmured.

Velma was going to ask him to elaborate on his thought when Scooby came out to retrieve them "The droctor's rere," Scooby informed them.

The two got up and followed Scooby back into the waiting room where a doctor was already conversing with Daphne. Shaggy and Velma approached the doctor. Daphne smiled at her friends brightly "Guys, this is Doctor Garret, he's Fred's surgeon," she explained.

Doctor Garret shook hands with Velma and Shaggy "As I was telling Ms. Blake," he began "Your friend's arm is gonna be fine. We've finished setting the bones and he's resting comfortably in the recovery room. We'll need to keep him here for a couple of days just to make sure that he's healing properly. You can come back tomorrow to see him."

"Thank you Doctor," Daphne said before giving him their contact information.

The doctor left and once again it was just Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby. There was a brief pause before Daphne spoke again "Well, since we won't be able to see Freddy until tomorrow, we should probably find a place to stay tonight."

XXX

Fred had been moved to a private room and was slowly coming out of the anesthetic induced haze that was clouding his mind. He was wondering about Daphne and the others. He had heard only the barest amount from Shaggy before he'd been taken to sugery. Velma had been getting stitches for some of the more deep cuts on her hands and Daphne had been getting her ankle X-rayed to see whether it was simply spraigned or broken.

"Like, don't worry about it man," Shaggy had said before the anesthesiologist had arrived "You just worry about yourself, I'll take care of everything."

"Thanks Shag," Fred had replied. Niether Shaggy or Fred had brothers of their own so they had been like each other's seragate brothers since day one. Fred would always look out for Shaggy and even though the opportunity didn't arise very often, when it did, Shaggy would look out for Fred.

Fred tried to take Shaggy's advice as he lay there but he found it quite hard not to worry about his friends. It was a few moments later when he happened to turn his attention to the open door of the room. In the doorway stood a young girl. Fred's eyes widened as he recognized the child. It was the girl from earlier, the one he had been veering to avoid when the Mystery Machine crashed.

Her skin was rather pale and her heart shaped face was framed by short straight bbrown hair. Her eyes were blue and looked sad, very sad. She was dressed in a pair of blue jean shorts and a pale pink t-shirt and wore a pair of beat up sneakers. For a moment Fred wondered if she was real or a figment of his imagination.

He smiled at the little girl as she entered his room. The child didn't say anything, she simply looked sad. Fred watched as the little girl watched him. He wondered what she was doing in the hospital in the first place. Had she in fact been injured somehow in the accident? The child placed her hand on the cast that incased Fred's broken arm. It was then that she spoke.

"Sorry…" she whispered before backing quickly out of the room.

"Wait," Fred called feebly after her but it was too late, she had already disappeared from sight. Fred tried to settle himself after the strange encounter but he found his thoughts returning to the little girl. She could not have been more than five years old. Had she really been there? Or had he simply imagined the whole thing? The tiny hand that touched his cast and the soft whisper of a voice could not have been an illusion.

Then another much stranger thought occurred to him. A thought probably brought on by fatigue and the remnance of the anesthetic that were still working thir wayout of his system. It was a thought that he was fully aware was something that would be more likely to occur in Shaggy's mind than his own. With the child's pale appearance and sad gaze along with the seeming lack of a logical explanation for her presence in the hospital… was she a ghost?


	2. Chapter 2: In the Embrace of a Friend

**Family Matters**

**Chapter 2: In the Embrace of a Friend**

**A/N: I actually took the time to do spell check on this chapter instead of getting over excited and posting it before a proper and thorough check. I hope that you readers are enjoying the story. I I don't want to sound like a hypocrite but I would like to know what all you readers are thinking of the story and the best way to do this is by leaving me a review.**

The two adjoining hotel rooms were the sort of thing you would expect from a nice hotel. Each room had two beds, a television, two upholstered chairs and a small table along with an adjoining bathroom for each room.

Shaggy and Scooby had seen to it that Velma and Daphne were comfortable before they adjourned to the other room, closing the door that separated the two rooms. Shaggy settled onto one of the beds and began channel surfing. There didn't seem to be much on. Shaggy paused on a local news station for a moment and almost instantly had to change the channel. The station was running a story about the accident and they showed an image of the wrecked Mystery Machine. Shaggy shook his head quickly in an attempt to clear the image from his head but it wouldn't leave.

Scooby raised his head from where it lay at the foot of the bed and looked at Shaggy knowingly "Rhaggy," the canine said intuitively.

Shaggy reached down and scratched Scooby behind the ears "Like all the stuff we've been through Scooby and like a car accident was probably like the one thing I never really worried about."

"Everyone's rokay Rhaggy," Scooby reassured.

"Like I know Scoob," Shaggy murmured "But, we got lucky…"

"We're alrays rucky," Scooby commented as he laid his head back down upon the bed.

Shaggy nodded and returned to channel surfing. He finally settled on The Mummy Meets Dracula II and settled down to watch. It was much later in the evening when he heard a knock on the door that separated the two hotel rooms. Scooby lifted his head and looked at the door for a second before relaxing again. Shaggy got off of the bed, muted the movie and went to open the door.

"Velma," he said upon seeing her on the other side of the door "Like, is something wrong?" he asked when he took in the expression on her face.

Velma shook her head "Daphne's asleep," she said softly "Do you mind if I sit up with you for a little while?"

Shaggy nodded and smiled softly at her "Like, not at all, come on in." He placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her to one of the chairs. Once she had taken a seat he took a seat in the other chair. Shaggy grabbed the TV remote "You wanna like watch the rest of The Mummy Meets Dracula II with me?"

Velma smiled slightly."Sure," she replied.

Scooby lifted his head from the bed and gave Velma a toothy dog grin "Ri Velma," he greeted albeit a bit drowsily.

Velma smiled at the canine "Hi Scooby, sorry to wake you."

"Rit's rokay," Scooby told her even as a yawn escaped him.

Velma giggled "Go back to sleep Scooby," she commanded softly.

"Rokay," Scooby yawned again "Groodnight Rhaggy, groodnight Velma."

"Sweet dreams Scooby," Velma blew him a kiss from across the room. Scooby lay his head back down and fell fast asleep within minutes.

Shaggy and Velma watched the rest of the movie in relative silence. When it was over Shaggy turned off the TV and turned to look at Velma. "So, like what's on your mind?" he began, observing that she hadn't really seemed to settle down since she'd entered the room.

Velma shook her head, clenching her eyes shut at the same time to avoid the dizzy feeling that still came "Nothing," she lied. She had gone to sleep early that evening only to be awoken by a violent nightmare about the crash in which things had turned out much worse. In her nightmare she had seen her friends mutilated, decapitated and impaled. She felt ill just thinking about it. Shaggy's hand on her knee brought her back to reality.

"Velma," Shaggy began seriously "You're like the worst liar ever."

"I am not," Velma protested. The next moment she found herself sitting in his lap with his arms wrapped around her "Shaggy, what are you-?"

"Tell me what's bothering you," his voice was low, serious and full of concern as he looked into her eyes. She felt her breathing quicken at the closeness. She stared into his eyes but refused to answer. She pulled her gaze away. Even without her glasses, the two of them were so close that she could see the intensity in his eyes. She couldn't tell him about her nightmare.

"Velma…" his voice was so soft now, so laden with concern that it broke her heart "Like talk to me…?"

Tears stung her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

Shaggy ran a comforting hand up and down her back. "Talk to me Vel," he whispered.

She sniffled and whispered a tear choked answer back into his shirt "Things could have been so much worse," she replied "Fred or Daphne or Scooby or you could have…" she trailed off and clung to him as she continued to cry.

Shaggy nodded. This was a difficult position that he found himself in. He didn't think he had it in him to be the strong one. Velma was the strong one, the logical one. He was the one who was always scared. He took a deep breath and let his eyes drift closed. What she was saying was almost exactly the same thing he'd been trying to keep off his mind with horror movies and trash TV since he'd arrived at the hotel.

At that moment the image of Velma's bleeding hands and her face as he had retrieved her from the Mystery Machine entered his mind and he could not shake it. Even though his brain could easily tell him that Velma was safe and sound in his arms his heart felt as if she were anything but safe. The first tear rolled down his cheek and landed in her hair and the flood gates had been opened.

Velma, still crying pulled away to look up at him "Shaggy…?" she asked through a shaky breath.

Shaggy looked down at her. Through a held back sob he replied "I was so worried that I could have lost you…" he didn't even realize what he had just admitted to right away as he held her close to him.

XXX

Once the anesthesia had worn off Fred could not get any rest. The nurses and doctors kept telling him that he should try to get some rest he couldn't stop thinking. Now that the fog had completely lifted from his mind his thoughts would not settle down. He wanted to call Daphne but the phone in his room would not dial outside the local area code and that meant her cell phone was beyond reach. He was curious about how they were all doing. Doctor Garret had been to see him and had told him that all his friends appeared to be fine and that they had gone to a nearby hotel for the night.

Despite the doctor's reassurances Fred couldn't help worrying about his friends. Shaggy and Scooby were like his brothers; Velma was like his little sister and Daphne… Daphne was something else all together. When he'd seen her limping towards the side of the road after the accident he hadn't even cared about his own pain even though Scooby had initially tried to hold him back. Daphne meant more to him than anything… He knew he had feelings for her but this new realization changed everything… He hoped he would get the chance to see her again soon.

And then there was that mysterious girl. Was she really a ghost? She had been real enough to cause the accident. She looked and sounded real but maybe when he saw her in his room it was just a hallucination? He and the gang had all seen her on the road in front of them so it stood to reason that at least in that instance, she had been real but in his room when she had come in and touched his cast, it all felt and sounded so real… The girl had looked so sad and she had appeared so pale. He hoped that she had been a hallucination because any other reason he could think of for a real flesh and blood little girl to be in a hospital and to be looking so sad was bad.

XXX

Daphne stirred in her sleep and awoke. She sat up and flipped on the light to see that Velma was no longer occupying the other bed. Curious she got out of bed, picked up her crutches and moved, slowly around the room. She noticed that the door to the adjoining room was left slightly ajar. She grinned mischievously and made her way over to the adjoining room. Quietly she peered through into the other room. What she saw startled her but yet at the same time it made her smile.

There on one of the two beds, bathed in the soft glow of the television lay Shaggy and Velma, fast asleep. Shaggy had his arms wrapped protectively around Velma. Velma in turn had her arms wrapped around Shaggy and her head nestled against his chest. The two of them were reclining on a stack of pillows as if they had fallen asleep while watching a movie. Across their feet lay Scooby, looking content.

Daphne smiled softly before retreating into the other room. She sat on the edge of the bed, placing her crutches within easy reach and quickly lost herself deep in thought. She missed Fred terribly. She looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was three in the morning. It wouldn't be long now before she would have a chance to see Fred in the hospital.

She lay back down and pulled the covers over herself. They had found a hotel that was in walking distance of the hospital. None of them had wanted to rent a car. Shaggy had suggested that they take a cab because of Daphne's ankle but she refused, telling him that it would be good for her to practice with the crutches. She'd managed to walk the three blocks from the hospital to the hotel without incident but she could tell every time she looked at the faces of her friends that they were worried about her.

Daphne wondered if she should concede and take a cab on the way back to the hospital. It would mean that she would get to see Fred faster. She stared at the ceiling of the now dark room. Her thoughts had been of Fred a lot lately. She'd always known she'd had a crush on the blond goofball. But lately her feelings seemed to be getting stronger.

She tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. When she'd seen Velma and Shaggy she couldn't help but feel a little jealous, jealous because she wanted Fred to hold her like that. She wanted to fall asleep in Fred's arms like that, feeling safe and secure. She sighed. Perhaps it was time for her to have a long talk with Fred. She would attempt to pose the topic during the gang's visit to the hospital in the morning. She was sure she could convince Shaggy, Velma and Scooby to give her and Fred some privacy for a few minutes.

After she had decided that she was going to talk to Fred, sleep seemed to come to her much more easily. She drifted off thinking of Fred and dreaming of wonderful warm thoughts of his arms around her. Her head was filled with thoughts of his smiling face, his kind eyes and yes, unfortunately, his broken arm, the way she had seen it when he'd made his way over to her after the accident so concerned for her safety above his own.

XXX

Morning light crept through the slightly parted curtains of the hotel room and crept across the bed where Velma lay. She stirred ever so slightly before waking. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was and what was going on but when she did she jumped. She sat bolt upright and looked down at where Shaggy lay. She didn't remember much of what happened last night after she and Shaggy had been so open with each other. They had decided to move to the bed to be more comfortable. Velma hadn't been willing to go back to the other room and be alone with her thoughts. She and Shaggy had been watching TV, still wrapped in each other's arms.

Shaggy stretched and opened his eyes. His eyes widened instantly when he saw Velma "Velma?" he questioned "Like what are you… oh…"

"You're not kidding," she murmured. She turned away and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

Shaggy watched her as she sat there silently "Velma, like what's wrong?"

"I've never slept in the same bed with a boy before," she told him.

Shaggy moved so that he was sitting next to her "Like, all we did was sleep, Velma. There's like no harm in that."

Velma nodded "Yeah," she murmured before sliding closer to Shaggy "We should probably get Daphne, grab some breakfast and head to the hospital."

"Breakfast?" came a question from the foot of the bed. Scooby, fully awake now jumped down from the bed "Ret's ro."

"Like, I think you said the secret word Velma," Shaggy laughed as he got up and followed Scooby.

Velma giggled and got up, grabbing Shaggy's hand and following him into the other room to wake Daphne.

Scooby paused at the door leading to the other room and placed a finger to his lips. Shaggy smirked and turned to Velma, silently indicating the still sleeping Daphne in her bed. Velma nodded with a mischievous grin of her own.

"On the count of three," she whispered "One… Two…"

"Three!" they all shouted at once as the dog, the boy and the girl ran into the room and jumped onto the bed where Daphne was sleeping.

"Wake up Daphne!" Velma giggled.

"Yeah, like, we're starving!" Shaggy added, shaking Daphne's shoulder.

"Sleeping!" Daphne mumbled as she pulled the covers over her head "Go away!"

"Raphne!" Scooby called as he managed to poke his face under the blankets. He began relentlessly licking her face.

"Alright, alright!" Daphne cried out as she tossed back the covers. "I'm up, I'm up!" She managed to scream through fits of giggles. Daphne pushed Scooby off of her as they all laughed.

The laughter soon came to an end however when Fred's presence was missed. He would either be the last one to jump on the bed or the next one that the group would pile on top of. A strange silence fell over the friends as they stared at one another.

It was Shaggy who broke the silence "Like, let's go get something to eat," he suggested.

"Yeah," Daphne agreed as she got up. The sooner they got some food in their stomachs the sooner they could go see Fred.


	3. Chapter 3: Little Angels

**Family Matters**

**Chapter 3: Little Angels**

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews. I think this chapter is going to answer some of your questions and I think a lot of you will be surprised.**

Velma found a smile creeping across her face as she saw the huge amount of food piled upon Shaggy's plate. It was in stark contrast to how little he had eaten the day before. She hope that that meant that he was feeling more like his old self again.

Scooby, likewise had an enormous pile of food in front of him. As Velma and Daphne watched, the food on the plates that sat before the young man and his canine companion quickly disappeared. Velma folund herself giggling "It never ceases to amaze me how you two can pack away so much food," she remarked.

:"Like simple Velma," Shaggy replied with a grin "Like I was born with two hollow legs." They all laughed as the girls finished their meals and Scooby went to get seconds for himself and Shaggy.

It wasn't long after they had finished eating that the group left the hotel restaurant. Shaggy had called a cab for them "Like, I'm not gonna take no for an answer Daphne," he said as they stood in front of the hotel.

Daphne grinned at her friend "Okay Shaggy," she conceded without a second thought. The group packed into the cab and they were on their way to the hospital.

XXX

Shaggy followed Daphne and Velma down the corridors of the hospital. Scooby walked in step with Shaggy as they moved through the hall. As they walked after their friends something out of the corner of Shaggy's eye caught his attention. He turned his head briefly before stopping completely.

Scooby noticed a few seconds later that Shaggy was no longer keeping step with him. "Rhaggy…?" Scooby asked as he turned back to where Shaggy was standing in the middle of the hall way. Scooby returned to where Shaggy stood and looked up at his master with confusion "Rhat's up?" he inquired.

Shaggy gestured towards the room across the hallway, the door was partway open. "Like, am I imagining things Scoob?" he asked staring into the room.

Scooby stared into the room as well and his jaw dropped open "Ruh-uh," Scooby remarked in response to Shaggy's question.

"That's like the girl from yesterday," he remarked. In the room a little girl sat in a chair beside the bed of an elderly woman. Before Shaggy could contemplate this oddity any further he felt someone grab his hand.

"Come on Shaggy," Velma said as she tugged on his hand "Daphne got ahead of me and without my glasses all of these room numbers are one big blur to me."

Shaggy nodded at her and turned to continue on the way to Fred's room. At least the girl didn't seem to be the patient that was a good sign. But who was that old woman in the bed? Whoever she was she didn't look to be doing so well. Was she somehow related to the little girl.

When they reached Fred's room, which wasn't too far away from the room where the little girl had been, they found Fred sitting up in bed munching on a bagel. Daphne was sitting in a chair beside him.

"Geez Daph," Velma remarked as Shaggy pulled up a chair for her "You could have waited for us."

Daphne looked down for a moment and giggled self deprecatingly "Uh… sorry Velma," she squeaked out as apology.

"Like how're you doing man?" Shaggy asked as he shook Fred's good hand.

Daphne sighed in relief that the focus had been taken off her for the time being.

"Better," Fred told Shaggy "They're gonna give me a scan tomorrow to see if my arm is healing alright and then they're gonna let me out."

"That's good to hear," said Velma.

Shaggy pulled a chair up and sat down while Scooby dropped down onto his hind quarters beside the chair. Shaggy looked to each of his friends in turn. He was wondering how or if he should bring up the topic of the girl he had seen. It turned out that the decision ended up being made for him by Fred.

"Guys," Fred began "Last night… I think I saw the girl from the street…"

"Really?" Velma and Daphne asked in unison.

"Yeah," Fred replied "I thought I might have been hallucinating but…"

"Like you're not hallucinating," Shaggy piped up. "I saw her too, just now."

All eyes in the room turned to him immediately "You did?" his friends, with the exception of Scooby, remarked.

Shaggy nodded "Like yeah, she was in a room just down the hall."

"Was she alright?" Velma, Daphne and Fred all asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Shaggy replied "Like, she was fine but she was with an old woman."

"So," Fred remarked "She was just visiting the hospital last night when I saw her," he sighed with relief. He was glad not to be losing his mind anesthesia or not.

The conversation turned to happier topics such as what they were going to do when Fred got out of the hospital and once the Mystery Machine was fixed. There was talk of maybe actually getting some relaxation in before they moved on. That was an idea that all of them agreed on. After the fright they had had the day before because of the accident, none of them were really in the mood for a mystery just then. But of course the mysteries would always find them, whether they wanted them or not.

About forty five minutes into their visit a small noise from the door of Fred's room caught the attention of all present. The members of Mystery Inc, turned in unison to see a small girl, the same small girl that had run into the road in front of them the day before, the same girl who Fred had seen the night before and that Shaggy had seen earlier that day. She was watching them with tears in her eyes.

"Like hi there kid," Shaggy said warmly with a smile.

"Is something wrong sweetie?" Daphne asked the little girl.

The girl simply stood there quietly. She didn't say a word, just looked sad. It was at that moment that Fred noticed something "Guys," he said quietly "She didn't have that black eye last night," he gestured to the little girl.

Scooby got up from the floor and moved towards the child. She didn't seem afraid of the canine. "Rello," Scooby said to the child as he smiled kindly at her.

"Hi," the girl replied in a tiny and timid voice.

Shaggy got up and approached the child. He knelt in front of her "Hey there," he said in a soothing voice "I'm Shaggy and this is Scooby Doo. What's your name?"

"Brianna," the girl replied. She managed to smile at Shaggy just a little bit as she reached out to pet Scooby.

Daphne and Velma made their way over to where Shaggy and Scooby were. Velma squatted beside Shaggy while Daphne took a seat on the floor. Daphne reached a hand out to gently touch the girl's cheek where a bruise had begun to form "Who did this to you Brianna?" she asked in a kind voice.

The little girl shook her head. At that moment a nurse came walking into the room with a rather bitter looking man. Shaggy thought that the man looked very much like several of the creeps they had unmasked over the years but Shaggy thought that the man's expression fit more for the creeps after they'd been unmasked. What was even more surprising to all in the room was that the man was carrying a baby in one arm and dragging a small boy by the other. Shaggy had a very bad feeling about this guy instantly, especially after he saw how Brianna attempted to hide behind Scooby when she saw the man.

"There she is," the nurse smiled down at the girl "I told you your niece was around here somewhere."

"Brianna," the man who was apparently her uncle said harshly "Come with me and stop pestering these young people. We have to go. I have your grandmother's funeral arrangements to see to."

"She's not bothering us at all sir," Fred spoke up from the hospital bed. He got to his feet and walked over to where the rest of the gang was now taking protective stances around Brianna.

"Like, we don't mind at all," Shaggy said as he eyed the man. Brianna was definitely afraid of this man. Shaggy wasn't an idiot, he could add two and two together. The combination of Brianna's freshly forming bruises and her fear of this man who appeared to be her uncle meant only one thing. Shaggy looked into the eyes of the little boy that the man was dragging. He looked to be about three and he had the same sad expression upon his face as Brianna did. The baby in the man's arms looked about as miserable as the other two children. All of them were afraid of this man.

"What's your name, cutie?" Daphne asked the little boy, kneeling down in front of him.

The boy didn't respond. The man jerked the boys arm harshly "Answer her," he whispered in a gruff tone.

The eyes of everyone in the room with the exception of the nurse who was examining Brianna, narrowed. The boy opened his mouth and whispered "Caleb."

"How did this happen to you sweetie?" the nurse asked, looking at Brianna's black eye and the bruise on her cheek.

The man quickly spoke up "She must have run into something," he supplied.

This time the nurse's eyes narrowed. She stood up and smiled at Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Velma and Scooby before turning to the man. She reached out and took the baby from him and handed her to Daphne. "Mr. Joyce, why don't we leave Brianna, Caleb and Grace here while you fill out some release forms for your mother's body."

The man nodded silently as he let go of the little boy's hand. The boy, Caleb immediately began rubbing his hand as he ran for the corner of the room where he plopped himself down.

The nurse passed the baby to Shaggy before she turned and lead the man out of the room. The baby girl, Grace looked at Shaggy with confused blue eyes before reaching up with a tiny hand to touch his face. Shaggy smiled at the baby. "Hey there little miss Grace," he said as he rocked the little girl.

It wasn't long before a doctor entered the room. "Hello," the doctor greeted "I'm Doctor Tangiers," he introduced before he knelt down in front of Brianna. "Hi there Brianna," he said kindly "Do you mind if I examine you?"

Brianna tried to hide behind Scooby again.

"Why do you need to examine her?" Fred questioned.

"Nurse Carrington suspected abuse," Doctor Tangiers explained "She's taken the uncle to be questioned and she asked me to come examine the children."

Scooby nuzzled Brianna "Rit's Rokay," he encouraged the child. Brianna looked up at Scooby and nodded before approaching the doctor.

During Doctor Tangiers's cursory examination of the three children he found multiple bruises that couldn't be explained away by simple childhood mishaps. He also discovered that Grace had a fractured wrist. What he discovered made Fred and the others nauseous. The fact that anyone would hit a child was an appalling thought.

Nurse Carrington returned to Fred's room about an hour later "Doctor," she said quietly "Mr. Joyce has disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Doctor Tangiers inquired "How do you mean disappeared?"

Nurse Carrington shook her head "I believe he's fled the hospital. As soon as the psychologist started asking him questions he just turned and ran. Security wasn't able to catch him. He's no longer in the hospital."

"This is distrurbing," Doctor Tangiers said, scratching his chin "Have you called the police."

"Yes Doctor," the nurse told him.

Fred and the rest of the gang exchanged worried looks.

XXX

"Like I wonder how many diapers we'll need," Shaggy said to Velma as they walked through the store.

"Well, I would suspect that we would need several," Velma remarked "Grace is only four months old after all." The hospital had called the police to investigate the child abuse case. Brianna and her siblings were supposed to be shipped off to foster care but Brianna refused to let go of Scooby when a child services officer tried to take her. Fred had offered the gang's services in caring for the young children. The child welfare department representative had agreed.

Now, while Brianna and Caleb were at the hotel with Daphne, Shaggy Velma, Scooby and Grace, who Velma had become quite attached to, were shopping for supplies. While Shaggy reached up to grab a package of diapers Grace tangeled one of her tiny hands in Velma's hair.

"Ooh," Velma said when the baby yanked hard on the brunette locks. She smiled as she tucked the hair behind her ear and out of the baby's reach "That's not a toy missy," Velma chuckled.

Shaggy tossed the package of diapers in the cart and turned to Velma "Like what else do we need?"

"Baby food," Velma said as they continued walking through the store "And we should probably pick up some toys for the children."

XXX

"Well," said Daphne as she got Caleb out of the bathtub and wrapped him in a towel "There you go nice and clean." She reached for the clothes that the child welfare worker had retrieved for them from the Joyce house and dressed the small boy in a pair of rather ratty looking blue and green striped pajamas.

Scooby took Caleb from Daphne so that she could use her crutches and they left the bathroom to find Brianna sitting on the bed, silently waiting for them. Daphne sat down on the bed beside her and Scooby put Caleb down on the bed before climbing up and curling into a ball on the foot.

Brianna looked up at Daphne and scooted closer to her on the bed. "I'm hungry," she whispered, sounding as if she was afraid to say so.

Daphne looked at the time "I guess we should eat some dinner then," she smiled at the children. She reached for the nightstand and grabbed the room service menu "What do you want to eat?" she asked.

XXX

"Like, do you think we have enough stuff?" Shaggy asked as he carried the numerous bags. Oddly enough Shaggy's question was sincere. After getting the supplies they needed at the super market, they had visited a clothing store and a toy store. Both Shaggy and Velma had gone a little crazy, wanting to make the children feel at home.

"I hope so," Velma replied as she followed behind Shaggy, carrying Grace in her new carseat as well as carrying a few bags of her own slung on her back.

"Like, it's a good thing Daphne gave us her credit card," Shaggy remarked "I didn't have nearly enough cash on me."

Velma grinned "I think that all of our cash combined wouldn't have covered a quarter of this stuff."

They walked into the hotel lobby to see that it was empty except for the desk clerk and a darkly clad man standing in the corner. As Velma and Shaggy walked towards the elevator Shaggy nudged Velma with his shoulder and tried to covertly draw her attention to the shadowy character "Hey Velma, like check out Mr. Tall Dark and Creepy," Shaggy whispered.

Velma turned in the direction Shaggy indicated but without her glasses she couldn't see much "He just looks like a giant blur to me Shaggy," she replied "Jinkies, I hope my new glasses get here soon. I don't know how much more of this I can take."

The two entered the elevator and Shaggy pushed the button for their floor. Once the elevator started moving Shaggy turned to Velma. He glanced down at Grace who had fallen asleep in the carseat. "Like, she looks comfortable," he remarked.

Velma smiled as she reached down and stroked the infant's cheek "I'm glad she feels comfortable with us," she admitted. Her gaze shifted back up to Shaggy "It's been an interesting day hasn't it?" she asked.

Shaggy shrugged "Yeah, but like it's not all bad," he smiled at her.

She looked at him and had to look away "Not all bad I suppose," she said quietly.

"Velma," Shaggy said quietly "Like, what's wrong?"

"I-I don't know," she whispered back just as the elevator doors opened with a ding. The discussion was done for the moment but Shaggy wasn't going to let this be the last word on the subject. The two sleuths walked down the hall and Shaggy pulled the key card out of his pocket.

"What is it Shaggy?" Velma asked when she heard him make an odd noise as he paused, rifling through his pockets.

"Like, I had two key cards for the room, I was saving the other one to give to Fred when he gets out of the hospital but like I thought I brought both key cards with me."

"You probably left it in the room and forgot," Velma said dismissively.

"Like, I bet you're right," Shaggy said as he opened the door. A few seconds later as he walked into the room and stopped short "Like zoinks," he remarked.

Velma came up behind him "What's going on?" she asked.

There in the middle of the floor sat Daphne, Scooby, Brianna and Caleb, surrounded by a pile of food containers from room service. The two children were laughing wildly as Scooby stuffed his face and Daphne used ketchup and mustard bottles to create odd art work on paper towels.

Velma couldn't help but giggle as she set the carseat on one of the beds and lifted Grace out of it. "It's good to see them acting like normal kids."

"Like, it sure is," Shaggy agreed before turning to Scooby "Like I hope you saved some food for me buddy."


	4. Chapter 4: Precious Moments

**Family Matters**

**Chapter 4: Precious Moments**

**A/N: Okay, I probably should have clarified this in the beginning but for the purposes of this story I have imagined Shaggy, Velma, Fred and Daphne as being 22 years old. I hope that clears up some confusion. I would like to take the time to thank all of you that reviewed. You all make me so happy and I don't mind the length of the reviews, the longer the better. Please enjoy chapter four.**

Velma paced the hotel room with baby Grace in her arms. Brianna and Caleb were already asleep in the other room with Daphne. Scooby had taken up a position curled up at the foot of the bed in which the two children were sleeping. But Grace seemed to not be able to sleep unless she was being held.

Velma paused in her pacing to stare down at the baby in her arms. Shaggy walked over and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He leaned his head over her shoulder to look down at Grace as well. Shaggy turned his head and gave Velma a quick peck on the cheek. He pulled away as soon as he saw her blush "Like, sorry," he whispered.

"No," she told him quickly "Don't be," she smiled. She walked over to the portable crib that she and Shaggy had finally figured out how to assemble and laid Grace down inside before turning to Shaggy. He was standing there, looking at her with an expression of confusion as if he believed he had done something wrong but he wasn't sure what.

She walked back over to him and took one of his hands into hers "She seems to be sleeping alright now," she said as Grace slept peacefully instead of waking instantly as she had the last five times that Velma has attempted to place her in the crib.

Shaggy nodded before dropping into a seated position on the bed. He patted the place beside him. He looked up at Velma expectantly. She didn't sit down right away and she allowed her hand to drop out of his. He looked confused again "Is everything like alright?" he asked.

Velma dropped into a seat on the other bed facing him. She sighed "I don't know," she admitted. She rarely experienced the feeling of not knowing something. Velma was the girl with all the answers but when it came to relationships she was often clueless. She opened her mouth, trying to make sense of her feelings "Shaggy," she began "Last night, we were both scared and the accident was so frightening and my nightmare…" she stopped talking. What was it she was trying to say anyway? She was trying to explain away her actions, to try and salvage hers and Shaggy's friendship.

"Velma," Shaggy replied slowly "What are you like trying to say?" he asked, utterly confused.

Velma stood up, full of frustration, frustration at herself for not being able to find the words to tell Shaggy what was on her mind. She walked over to the hotel room's window "I just… I just…" she growled and through her head back "I'm not good at this."

"Like, not good at what?" Shaggy asked as he came to stand beside her. He didn't dare wrap his arm around her even though he wanted to. He was afraid that she would retreat again. He wasn't exactly a super star when it came to relationships either.

Even without her glasses Velma could see his reflection beside hers in the glass infront of her. She sighed "This, whatever happened, whatever was about to happen last night."

"Velma, like nothing happened." Shaggy told her "We fell asleep in the same bed together, like that's all."

She nodded "Yeah but…" she trailed off and pressed her forehead against the cool glass. She didn't want to ruin her friendship with Shaggy.

"Velma," Shaggy said softly from beside her "Like, I really like you."

At that moment a rock came hurling through the window, shattering it. Quick reflexes, honed from years of running from monsters allowed Shaggy to grab Velma and pull her away before she was harmed too badly by the shattered glass. He lay on top of her for several long seconds while the shattered glass fell around them.

Velma looked up at Shaggy as he lay on top of her. He supported himself fon one elbow to keep most of his weight off her while his other hand traced a small cut on her forehead that had been caused by a shard of glass. His face was mere centimeters from hers as he looked down at her with worry practically stamped in bold on his features.

"I'm alright," she said after a tense few seconds. She ended her sentence with a nervous giggle and made a motion to push Shaggy off of her.

Shaggy pushed himself up onto his knees and looked at her "Like, are you sure?" he questioned.

Velma sat up and felt her forehead. The wound was barely a scratch. There wasn't any noticeable bleeding. She nodded "I'm fine," she confirmed "What just happened?"

Shaggy moved carefully through the shattered glass to where the cause of all of the trouble lay. He picked up the rather large rock and stared at it "It's like a rock," he told Velma.

It was at that moment that baby Grace began to cry. Velma pushed herself to her feet, brushed herself off and retrieved the baby "Shhh, shhh," she soothed "It's okay."

The door connecting the two rooms opened and Scooby followed by Daphne entered.

"Rhaggy, Velma!" Scooby said worriedly.

"Jeepers, what happened in here?" Daphne asked, her voice full of concern.

Shaggy held the rock in two hands as Scooby trotted over to him "Like, someone threw this at the window," he replied.

"We should probably call the front desk and let them know, then we should call the police," Velma said as she succeeded in calming the restless infant.

"Like, good idea," Shaggy said as he picked up the phone.

XXX

"I am sorry about this," the hotel manager said as he stood in the room with the three young adults and the dog "We've never had problems with vandals before. I'll upgrade you kids to a suite free of charge."

"Jinkies, thank you sir," Velma remarked as she stood with Grace in her arms and a diaper bag full of Grace's thing slung over her shoulder.

"It was probably just some local troublemakers," Officer Monroe from the local police department told them as he finished taking notes "But we'll be sure to check into it."

"Like thanks officer," Shaggy replied as he gatheres up some of the gang's possessions in preparation for heading to their new room.

"No problem kids," Officer Monroe replied "You're doing us a big favor by watching the Joyce kids. We've got virtually no foster families in the area."

"Have you had any luck finding the aunt that Brianna spoke about?" Daphne asked.

"Not yet," Monroe replied "she apparently moved to California about a year ago just before her sister and brother-in-law died. We haven't found a way to contact her yet."

"Have you found Chuck Joyce?" Velma asked.

Officer Monroe shook his head. He didn't want to tell the young adults standing in the room with him that he had a sneaking suspicion that Chuck Joyce might have been responsible for the rock that came through the window earlier that night. It was obvious by the sheer size of the rock that it would have had to have been thrown by a full grown man. "We've called in the state police to help search for him," he informed them. Mystery Inc.'s reputation as mystery solvers was well known but as they were acting as temporary guardians for the Joyce children it was better for everyone if they stayed out of the search for Chuck Joyce.

XXX

"Wow," Fred said as he entered the suite the next afternoon "This place is great."

"Yeah," Shaggy said as he flopped onto the sofa "Like Mr. Grant was really generous to put us up in this place."

Fred took a seat in an arm chair and watched Brianna playing on the floor with Caleb. He smiled "They are such sweet kids," he remarked.

"Like yeah," Shaggy agreed "I think the girls are gonna take it pretty hard if the police ever like find their aunt in California," he looked up at the ceiling "Especially Velma," he added.

"Where is Velma?" Fred asked, looking around. Daphne was already in the living area watching the children play but there seemed to be no sign of the brunette female member of Mystery Inc.

"Here I am," as if on cue Velma appeared from the door to one of the bedrooms holding Grace in her arms. She had dressed Grace in an absolutely adorable little outfit.

Shaggy leveled his gaze at her. She had become very attached to the children, especially Grace in the short time that the little ones had been staying with them. He rose from his seat and walked over to Velma. He lifted Grace out of Velma's arms and appraised the infant's outfit "Well Ms. Grace," he began as he grinned widely at the baby who smiled back "You like look great." He had to admit, he was getting awfully attached to the kids as well.

Grace giggled and wiggled her tiny arms and legs in Shaggy's arms. She was probably just as attached to them as they were to her though she couldn't express it in words at her young age. One of her small hands made contact with Shaggy's face and she burst into gleeful laughter as his stubble caused a tickling sensation in her small fingers.

Brianna made her way over to Fred and climbed up into his lap, settling down and leaning her head against his chest "I'm sleepy," she said softly.

Fred smiled down at the little girl before looking at the clock that sat upon a nearby end table "I suppose it's about as good a time as any for nap time," he remarked.

"Yeah," Daphne said, hobbling over and scooping up Caleb with some difficulty "They didn't get a nap yesterday with all of the excitement."

XXX

Brianna and Caleb slept soundly side by side. Daphne looked down at them and smiled. Then she looked to her other side to see that Fred had also drifted off to sleep. It was still the middle of the afternoon but Fred had had a long day getting his scans and tests before they'd allowed him to leave the hospital. Daphne smiled and closed the book that she and Fred had been reading to the two children. She stretched out on the king sized bed and yawned. It seemed as if she could use a nap as well.

She lay down beside Fred and drifted off. In his sleep Fred wrapped his good arm almost instinctively around Daphne's waist as if his subconscious was already aware of something his conscious mind had not admitted yet. In response Daphne's arms snakes their way around Fred.

Velma poked her head in the room a few minutes later and was able to make out the sleeping forms on the bed. She smiled as she turned back into the main living area of the suite. Maybe certain relationships were meant to change. She walked over to Shaggy who was lightly bouncing Grace in his arms the way Velma remembered him bouncing Sugey in his arms when he was just a little boy. She smiled softly before wrapping her arms around him.

"Shaggy," she began in a quiet voice so as not to upset the baby.

"Yeah Velma?" Shaggy asked, looking into her eyes "Like, what is it?"

Velma grinned up at him "I like you a lot too."

Shaggy grinned at her "Like I was hoping you felt that way," he replied as he leaned in and kissed her. The two of them made their way over to the sofa and sat down. Shaggy shifted Graces weight to one arm as he draped the other around Velma's shoulders. Scooby came over and grinned at the pair as he climbed up on the sofa and curled up on Velma's other side.

Velma reached up and put a hand on Scooby's head as the great dane laid his head in her lap. She sighed contentedly, thinking to herself that being like this seemed so right. She laid her head on Shaggy's shoulder and let her eyes drift closed, breathing in the sensation of being this close to him.


	5. Chapter 5: A Real Monster

**Family Matters**

**Chapter 5: A Real Monster**

It was a couple of hours later when Fred awoke. He looked down at Daphne still sleeping peacefully beside him and smiled warmly. It was then that a strange urge overcame him. He leaned in, using his good hand to brush a stray strand of hair away from her face and kissing her tenderly.

Daphne moaned happily before her eyelids fluttered open. She smiled at Fred "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey sleeping beauty," Fred grinned.

Daphne laughed "Do you think of yourself as the handsome prince Freddy?" she questioned as she untangled herself from him.

"If the shoe fits," Fred replied as he used his good arm to push himself into a sitting position.

Daphne grinned at him "You're getting your fairytales confused my friend."

The two of them laughed before their attentions both turned to the bed beside them. Daphne clasped her hand over her mouth as Fred pushed himself into a standing position "Where are they?" he asked, sleep still clouding his mind just a bit.

Fred and Daphne stared at each other in fear and confusion until a sound from the main living area caught their attention and answered Fred's question. Fred, followed by Daphne on her crutches, entered the living area to see Scooby and Shaggy romping around the living area with Brianna and Caleb on their backs.

Velma was standing in the middle of it smiling brighter than Daphne or Fred could ever remember seeing her smile before. Grace was in Velma's arms waving her small hands wildly and giggling.

"Hey sleepy heads," Velma greeted "I was wondering when you'd finally wake up."

"Hi Daphne!" Brianna waved from Scooby's back as the great dane stopped in front of Fred and Daphne "Hi Freddy!"

"Hey Brianna," Daphne smiled down at the little girl "Are you having fun with Shaggy and Scooby?"

"Yeah!" the little girl smiled "Lot's of fun! Come on Scooby!" the dog and the girl took off around the room once more.

Shaggy lifted Caleb off of his shoulders and sank into a chair, holding the little boy in his arms.

"Again, again!" the little boy chanted, looking up at Shaggy.

"Like sorry little dude," Shaggy said as he tried to catch his breath "But like not right now. Shaggy needs a breather."

Caleb nodded and slid off of Shaggy's lap, going over to a toy car that he had been playing with earlier. He began pushing the car along the floor "Vroom vroom!" he called out as he crawled along behind the car.

Daphne and Fred dropped onto the sofa, watching the cheos around them. Daphne looked from Shaggy to Velma to Scooby. It was obvious to the redhead that all of them had become attached to the children. Daphne knew that when the police inevitably located the children's aunt in California that they would be forced to say goodbye to the endearing young ones. Daphne only hoped that the inevitable separation wouldn't be more devastating than it had to be when the time finally came.

XXX

It was late and the children had all been tucked in for the night. The gang sat around the living area talking. Shaggy and Velma were on the sofa, Fred was in an arm chair and Daphne had managed to drag a chair over from the table and had placed it next to Fred.

"You know," Velma remarked after a short period of silence "If the police can't locate Brianna's aunt we could adopt the children."

Fred and Daphne stared at Velma "Adopt them?" Daphne asked "Velma we can't do that."

"Why not?" Velma asked "Shaggy and I looked into it online this afternoon," Shaggy had been kind enough to read the information on the website to her since without her glasses it was just a blur to her.

"Yeah," Shaggy put in "We're like old enough to adopt. The only thing is that the process will like take a few months."

"Have you really thought this through?" Fred asked them "I mean, I love those kids too but we can't be responsible for three little kids. Have you thought about what you're gonna do about school? We're always traveling from mystery to mystery. Are you going to quit Mystery Inc.? If that's the case then you'd have no source of income."

"I could home school them," Velma told him "With all of the places we go the back of the Mystery Machine is a much better learning experience than any school could ever be."

"Some of the mysteries we get involved in are just too dangerous for little kids," Fred told her.

"Like that's where I come in," Shaggy smiled "Me and Scooby will babysit. Most of the mysteries we're involved in are like too dangerous for us too," he chuckled. He gazed sidelong at Velma for her approval of his answer to the question.

Velma nodded at him with a small smile.

"I don't know…" Fred murmured "But if police can't locate their aunt I suppose…" he trailed off and looked to Daphne.

Daphne cleared her throat "We promise to support you Velma and if you want to adopt the children, we'll help you in anyway we can."

Velma smiled at her friends "Thank you," she said honestly.

XXX

The days went by quickly as Velma, Shaggy, Scooby and the rest of the gang had fun with the kids and became more and more attacked to them. Before Velma knew it her glasses had arrived through the mail. She was glad to have them back and to be able to read again as well as make her way around without being aided by Shaggy every few steps.

In the mean time she and Shaggy were spending a lot more time together. They took Scooby for walks together in the nearby park and spent their nights cuddled up on the sofa watching old horror flicks. Velma slept in a bed by herself most nights though and insisted on taking the relationship slow. Shaggy was alright with that, he wasn't going to pressure her into something she wasn't ready for.

Meanwhile Daphne and Fred had taken to sharing a bed which caused their friends to whisper about them during those late nights on the sofa. Though Daphne was often blushing the next morning she and Fred did nothing more than sleep in each other's embrace. Fred had suggested that they do more one night Daphne had laughed and told him that with his broken arm he shouldn't be attempting anything "more".

It was a bright and sunny afternoon when Shaggy received a call on his cell phone from the mechanic. He strolled into the living area with a broad smile on his face "Hey gang," he greeted "Like the Mystery Machine is fixed."

"That's great," Daphne smiled as she got up from the sofa. Her sprained ankle was doing much better and she was now able to walk on it without the aid of crutches though it was still a bit tender.

"Looks like we'll be heading out soon," Fred remarked as he put down the sports section of the local paper.

Velma came out from the room where the children were taking their afternoon nap "Don't forget Fred, you and Daphne have appointments at the hospital in less than an hour."

"Oh shoot," Fred remarked "I completely forgot about that. Thanks Velma," he stood up "Come on Daph, let's go."

"Like I'll go with you and pick up the Mystery Machine," Shaggy said. He turned to Scooby "Scoob, you stay here with Velma and the kids, this like shouldn't take too long."

Velma stood on her tip toes and pressed a quick kiss to Shaggy's lips "See you soon," she whispered.

Shaggy smiled and turned to leave. A moment later he turned back and wrapped Velma in a tight hug, lifting her off of the ground. When he released her he was confused as to why he had felt the need to do that. He was only going to be gone a few minutes. "Uh…" he said a little awkwardly as Velma looked up at him, a slight blush gracing her cheeks "Like be back soon," he smiled and shrugged.

"Drive safe," Velma said softly as he turned to leave with Fred and Daphne.

Shaggy nodded as he disappeared out the door.

XXX

"I'll like catch you guys later," Shaggy said as he parted ways with Daphne and Fred at the hospital "Just like give me a call when your appointments are through and I'll give you a lift."

"Thanks Shaggy," Daphne called as she and Fred waved to him before entering the hospital.

Moments later as Shaggy was walking along he was deep in thought when another pedestrian nearly bowled him over "Hey, like watch it dude," Shaggy called after the retreating form. The figure didn't respond. Shaggy thought it was odd that the person was wearing such a heavy looking coat on such a temperate and pleasant afternoon. He quickly put it out of his mind and continued on his way to fetch the Mystery Machine.

He did not however think to check his pockets in case the person he had bumped into had taken something from him. Shaggy Rogers was the kind of guy who didn't think about that sort of thing. He tried to see the best in people, granted he couldn't always find it but he tried to see it and gave most pedestrians on the street the benefit of the doubt. He would come to regret not checking his possessions after that collision. For it was not by random chance that the stranger had bumped into Shaggy.

XXX

Velma sat on the couch reading a book. The children hadn't woken up from their nap yet. She was enjoying the discussion between two scientists in the science fiction novel and was deeply engrossed in it when Scooby's growling pulled her away from the plot. "Scooby," she began, looking up at the great dane "What's wro-?" the answer to her question stood just inside the door to the suite.

Velma stood up immediately, instantly on guard just as Scooby was "Chuck Joyce," she whispered.

Joyce approached her "Where are my nephew and nieces?" he asked gruffly, ignoring Scooby's continuing growls.

"I'm calling hotel security," Velma informed him "And then I'll call the-"

Chuck knocked the phone from her hand and grabbed her by the shoulders "You won't be doing any such thing," he informed her.

Scooby was barking now. The dog leapt at Chuck only to receive a rather unpleasant kick to the face. "Rouch," Scooby whimpered as he fell backwards.

"Mind your own business mutt," Chuck hissed.

"Scooby," Velma called out to him "Get the kids out of here."

"Rut Velma-" Scooby began protesting.

"Go," she told him as she did her best to keep Chuck from following the canine into the bedroom where the children had just awoken, terrified by the sound of their uncle's voice.

Scooby emerged from the bedroom less than a minute later, walking on his hind legs and carrying Grace in his arms. Caleb was seated atop Scooby's shoulders while Brianna clung to Scooby's tale as she trotted quickly behind her canine protector.

"There you are," Chuck Joyce sneered at the children as he made an effort to lunge for them but Velma was too quick for him and the two ended up in a heap on the floor.

"Run Scooby!" Velma yelled as Chuck tried to get up.

Scooby reluctantly did as he was told, with the children in tow he left the hotel room. He began moving through the hotel corridors as fast as he could with the children, searching for assistance "Relp, relp!" he shouted repeatedly as he reached a staircase and began heading downstairs to the lobby. The children were screaming for help ass well.

Back in the hotel room Chuck stood over Velma, infuriated "You bitch," he hissed angrily as he began stomping, kicking and punching her. Velma did her best to defend herself but she was virtually helpless. She just lay there and hoped that he would leave her alone soon but that by the time he did, Scooby and the children would be too far away for him to catch up to. Chuck Joyce did eventually leave her alone but when he did, she was unconscious, lying in a pool of her own blood.


	6. Chapter 6: Hanging in Limbo

**Family Matters**

**Chapter 6: Hanging in Limbo**

Shaggy stood at the desk in the mechanic's office. The Mystery Machine looked good as new and Shaggy was glad to see the old van back in action. While Shaggy stood there a woman came in. The woman had long dark blond hair and a pleasant smile.

"Excuse me," she said to Shaggy "Are you the mechanic?"

Shaggy shook his head "Sorry Miss like I'm not the mechanic." Just then the mechanic appeared and handed Shaggy some paperwork.

"Do you have a credit card?" the mechanic asked Shaggy "I can process it for you."

Shaggy reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, handing the mechanic Daphne's credit card. "Like, here," Shaggy said as he forked over the plastic.

The mechanic eyes the name on the credit card and chuckled "You certainly don't look like a Daphne to me. I'll need to see some ID to prove that you're on the list of approved users for this card."

Shaggy chuckled and shrugged. It was a problem he'd run into a lot over the past week. Fortunately He, Velma and Fred were all on the very short list of people that Daphne allowed to use her credit card. He produced his driver's license and braced himself for the inevitable response.

"Norville?" the mechanic, Ricky, chuckled "Are you kidding me with that?" Of course Shaggy had introduced himself to the mechanic by his preferred moniker.

"Like, I wish I were," Shaggy replied with a shrug. "Can you just like process the card without the commentary?"

Ricky chuckled again. He typed something into the computer and grinned "Alright Mr. Norville Rogers," he outright laughed "You are an approved user of this card. Please sign the papers with your real name Norville."

Shaggy groaned there was a reason he didn''t like his real name. "Like alright," he grumbled as he grabbed the papers and signed his name "Like not even my mother calls me Norville," he muttered.

The woman waiting behind Shaggy tapped him on the shoulder "Your last name is Rogers?" she questioned.

"Like yeah," Shaggy replied, glad that she hadn't harped on Norville the way that the mechanic had.

"Are you by any chance Shaggy Rogers once of the nice young people who are looking after my nieces and nephew?" the woman asked.

Shaggy was stunned into momentary silence. So this was the Joyce kids' aunt. Now that he thought about it, she did look a lot like a much older Brianna. He nodded "Yeah, like nice to meet you," he extended his hand.

"Karen Marvin," the woman introduced "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Shaggy said before excepting the Mystery Machine's keys from Ricky.

Ricky looked up at Karen "What can I help you with ma'am?" he asked.

"My car is making some sort of rattling sound," she told him "I think it might be the radiator. I have been using the air conditioning a lot. I just drove twenty straight hours from California."

Ricky grinned "Ah, a California girl. I'll come take a look at your car for you."

"Hey," Shaggy piped up "Like I have an idea. Why don't' I take you to the hotel like so you can see your nieces and nephews while Ricky looks at your car."

Karen grinned "That's a great idea." She quickly gave her contact information to Ricky before hopping in the Myster Machine with Shaggy.

XXX

"I actually moved away to get away from Chuck," Karen was telling Shaggy "He was obsessed with me. I tried to tell my sister and brother-in-law to move too but Joshua wouldn't leave his mother and she's lived in the same house for her entire life."

Shaggy pulled up in front of the hotel. Fred and Daphne weren't done with their appointments yet so Shaggy brought Karen straight to the hotel. He hopped out of the Mystery Machine and headed into the lobby of the hotel followed by Karen.

"So how have my nieces and nephew been?" Karen asked "I've never even met Grace. My sister sent me some pictures of her but when she stopped sending me letters I had no idea that she had died," Keren looked down at the ground sadly.

"Like, they're terrific," Shaggy told her. At that moment his gaze turned to the stairway in the corner of the lobby as a familiar cry reached his ears.

"Relp, relp!" Scooby yelled at the top of his lungs as he made his way into the lobby with the children.

Shaggy gaped at them. He pointed to Scooby as he said to Karen in a worried voice "Like, there they are now…"

"Rhaggy! Rhaggy!" Scooby screamed as he ran up to Shaggy and handed Grace over.

"Aunt Karen!" Brianna cried as she ran into her aunt's arms.

"Like, what's wrong Scoob?" Shaggy asked as Caleb followed his older sister's lead and ran to his aunt.

"Velma rin rouble!" Scooby said quickly "Ruck Royce!" he began to pantomime Velma and Chuck's fight.

"Chuck Joyce… is here?" Karen asked, pulling out her cell phone "I'll call Officer Monroe," she told Shaggy.

"Like call for an ambulance too," Shaggy gulped fearfully. He really hoped that Velma was okay. He didn't bother waiting for the elevator knowing that he could sprint up the stairs faster. Scooby Doo was hot on his heals. Now that Scooby was on all fours he was able to move jmuch faster and they reached the suite in no time.

Shaggy reached into his pocket for the key card to open the door and then remembered the man who had bumped into him on the street. He cursed under his breath as he realized what he had allowed to happen. As he stood staring hopelessle at the door of the suite it opened and Shaggy was face to face with Chuck Joyce. Shaggy didn't have time to be scared of the menacing man. Shaggy felt the overwhelming urge to punch him so he did.

Chuck landed on his back on the floor and Shaggy stepped hard on the man's throat. He felt himself filled with rage. This man had abused three completely innocent little children and now, he had stolen Shaggy's key card in an attempt to kidnap them.

"Rhaggy!" Scooby shouted from over by where Velma was lying.

When Shaggy saw Velma lying on the floor and the blood surrounding her, the rage inside him grew. He stepped harder on Chuck's throat.

"Rhaggy!" Scooby called again desperately "Rhaggy ron't ro rit!"

Shaggy looked down at Chuck. He had so much anger for the man but this wasn't who he was. He removed his foot from Chuck's throat. Chuck struggled to his feet and stumbled out the door. Shaggy didn't bother with him anymore as he rushed over to Velma. He knelt beside her and grabbed her hand.

"Velma," he whispered desperately. In his fear he had forgotten that he had asked Karen to call for an ambulance. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and attempted to call for help with it but his hands were too slippery with Velma's blood and the phone kept slipping from his hands.

"No, no, no," Shaggy cried out as he leaned over Velma, his face hovering above hers searching for any sign of life. "No, no, no. Like, not her, pleas," a tear rolled down his cheek and splashed onto her glasses which in spite of the beating she had been subject to, were still in one piece. The teardrop rolled down the lense and landed on her cheek, trickling down slowly as if it had been shed from her eye instead of his.

Velma's eyes flickered open slowly and she looked up at Shaggy "Shaggy," she whispered weakly "W-why do you… look… so… sad…?" she asked. She didn't wait for a reply before she closed her eyes again.

"Velma, like keep your eyes open," Shaggy begged her "Like, you gotta stay with me, okay?"

"The kids…" Velma murmured "Are… are they… did Scooby…?"

"Like, they're safe Velm," Shaggy said softly as he kissed her lips "You saved them, you're like a hero.. Please, like, don't leave…"

"Leave…?" she asked, opening her eyes and forcing a small smile up at him "What would give you the idea that I would do that?"

Shaggy tried to hold his cell phone steady but it slipped from his grasp again. At that moment the door to the suite burst open and Mr. Grant the hotel manager lead a group of paramedics inside. Shaggy sat back on his heels and watched as the paramedics loaded Velma on a stretcher. He looked down at his hands, they were covered in Velma's blood. He lost himself in thought.

"Rhaggy," it was Scooby who brought Shaggy our of his thoughts, by the time the paramedics had left the room. Shaggy climbed to his feet and left the room in a daze, followed closely by Scooby.

The young man and his dog walked through the lobby and passed Karen Marvin who tried to call out to him but he didn't here her. Brianna attempted to run to Shaggy but Karen held her back. "We'll take a cab to the hospital in a little bit," Karen told her niece.

Shaggy climbed into the driver's seat of the Mystery Machine and Scooby jumped in the passenger's seat. The drive to the hospital was completely silent. When Shaggy pulled up in front of the hospital he stopped the Mystery Machine and let his head fall onto the steering wheel.

Scooby licked the side of Shaggy's face "Rit's not rour fault Rhaggy," Scooby told him.

Shaggy sighed "Yeah it is Scoob," he whispered "Like he used my key card to get in…"

The two sat in silence for a while after that before the silence was broken by a tap on the window. Shaggy turned to see Fred staring through the glass at him.

"Hey Shag?" Fred asked sympathetically.

Shaggy nodded and unlocked the door, sliding over so that Fred and Daphne could get in the Mystery Machine with him. Scooby ended up in Shaggy's lap as Daphne slid in next to Shaggy and Fred next to Daphne.

"Officer Monroe called us," Daphne explained.

"We tried calling you," Fred added "But you didn't answer."

Shaggy shook his head. His cell phone was still on the floor of the suite and covered with Velma's blood. He let his hea fall forward "Like sorry," was all he could say.

"Doctor Garret was with us when Officer Monroe called," Fred told his friend "He's going to be one of the surgeons working on her."

"Shaggy…?" Daphne asked, hoping that her friend would say something.

"Like what do you want me to say?" Shaggy asked finally in a quiet tone of voice that Fred and Daphne had rarely heard him use before.

"You don't have to say anything," Fred told him "We just want to let you know that we're here for you."

"Like yeah," Shaggy murmured, gazing off across the parking lot. "Thanks."

It was then that Daphne attempted to reach for one of Shaggy's hands. She caught a glimpse of the now dried blood that coated his fingers and cringed. She was unable to prevent herself from saying the words that slipped out "Is that her blood!" she gasped, horrified.

Shaggy cried out as he collapsed onto the floor of the Mystery Machine. He curled up in the fetal position as Scooby curled up with him "I… l-like, the blood was l-like e-everywhere," he sobbed as Scooby attempted to comfort him.

Fred wrapped his arms around Daphne as tears rolled down her cheeks, he felt his own hot tears stinging the back of his eyes. Daphne buried her face in Fred's chest. Fred fought to keep his voice calm "She, she's gonna be f-fine Sh-shaggy," he failed miserably at sounding like the strong person he liked to pretend he was.

They were all friends. They had known each other since childhood. When one of them hurt they all hurt. When one of them cried, they all cried. They loved each other. Their bond was much stronger than one of simple friendship. The members of Mystery Inc. were a family plain and simple and the thought of losing one of their own was tearing all of them up inside.

Fred broke down in tears, holding on to Daphne for dea life. The Mystery Machine was a den of misery. Sobs and sniffles echoed from each of the occupants. This continued for several minutes before one of the members of Mystery Inc. managed to pull himself together.

"We should probably head inside to the waiting room," Fred said quietly, having finally gotten control over his voice. He used his good hand to wipe the tears away from his eyes before looking at Daphne and Shaggy.

Daphne nodded and wiped at her eyes in a futile attempt to erase the silent tears that kept following.

Scooby whimpered as he got up on the seat again, lowering his head to Daphne who affectionately ruffled his ears. Scooby then crossed over to Fred who wrapped his good arm around the dog "Hey Scoob," Fred managed a half smile giving the dog an affectionate pat on the belly with the hand of his good arm which wound all the way around the dog's midsection.

Shaggy got up and looked to his friends. His tears had stopped for the most part though his eyes were red rimmed "Like, let's go," he told them as he opened the passenger's side door and slipped out.

XXX

When they arrived in the waiting room Karen Marvin was already there with the children. Daphne and Fred had introduced themselves to her earlier before they'd left to go find Shaggy.

Brianna saw Shaggy and ran over to him "Shaggy," she said, reaching her arms up to wrap around his waist.

Shaggy remembered the blood on his hands and quickly pushed Brianna away "Like, not right now Brianna, I've gotta go find a bathroom," he told her as way of excusing himself. He disappeared quickly in search of a restroom.

Brianna watched Shaggy leave with a sad expression on her face "What did I do?" she asked with the complete innocence of a child who can't understand the enormity of what is going on around her.

Daphne scooped the little girl up "He's not mad at you sweetie," she said as she hugged Brianna "He's just sad about what happened to Velma."

"Yeah," Fred put in "Plus, when you have to go, you have to go," his attempt at adding humor to the situation had been half hearted at best and was even less well received by those around him.

XXX

Shaggy stood in front of the mirror in the men's room, scrubbing his hands as hard as he could. The blood had long ago disappeared but he still felt it's presence clinging to his skin. He felt horrible. He remembered how he'd told her he wouldn't be gone long and in fact he hadn't been gone more than twenty minutes. It frightened him how in a matter of minutes or even seconds life could be turned so completely upside down. How in a matter of twenty minutes because of one disturbed individual, not even a freak in a costume mind you, could jeopardize the life of someone he cared about so deeply.

The door to the men's room pushed open and Scooby trotted in "Rhaggy?" Scooby asked out of concern "Rare rou rokay?"

Shaggy turned off the water in the sink and grabbed a handful of paper towels "Like, I don't know anymore Scoob," he sighed.

"Velma rill be rokay," Scooby said as he nuzzled Shaggy affectionately "Re shrould ret brack rout threre," Scooby remarked as he turned and headed for the door of the bathroom.

Shaggy shrugged and followed after his loyal companion. In his heart he knew that Velma would be alright. He had to believe that she would be alright. She was too strong willed of a person, too tough to give up. She wouldn't die, she wouldn't leave him to mourn her. He had to keep telling himself this because as in many things in his life a looming shadow of doubt hung over everything he believed. Whatever happened he knew that the image of Velma, lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood would be with him for a long, long time.


	7. Chapter 7: What Matters

**Family Matters**

**Chapter 7: What Matters**

**A/N: Okay, this is the last chapter. I made sure to go through it this time. I have to admit that sometimes I get overly excited about posting the chapter and I forget to go through it and do my final check so I apologize for any mistakes that occurred in the last chapter. When I check for errors I'm usually quite good at it so I hope this chapter is grammatically better.**

Officer Monroe arrived in the waiting room to see Daphne dozing with her head resting on Fred's shoulder. Fred had an arm wrapped around her shoulder and he appeared to be fighting to keep his eyes opened. Even though she was asleep Daphne looked far from peaceful. In a corner of the room Brianna and Caleb were sleeping on a sofa. Karen sat with a cup of coffee in one hand while she cradled Grace with her other arm. Shaggy was sitting with his elbows on his knees, using his arms to prop his head up while he stared at the floor. Scooby sat on the floor beside his master.

Officer Monroe walked into the middle of the otherwise deserted waiting room. Karen was the first to notice him "Officer Monroe," she greeted "Did you catch him?"

Shaggy's head popped up instantly at the question. Shaggy knew all too well who 'him' was.

"We've got him Ms. Marvin," Officer Monroe informed her "He's confessed to the charges of child abuse and the attack on Ms. Dinkley."

Karen and Shaggy both breathed sighs of relief knowing that that monster was off the streets. Officer Monroe's attention shifted to Shaggy next. He walked over and took a seat beside the young man, letting a hand rest on Scooby's head as he turned to face Shaggy.

Monroe cleared his throat "I just wanted to let you know that the rock that was thrown through your window was launched by some neighborhood kids testing out a homemade catapult," Monroe pulled two hotel key cards from his pocket and showed them to Shaggy "When Joyce bumped into you today it wasn't the first time that he took a key card from you. He was probably planning to try to take his nieces and nephew back but when the window broke and you switched rooms-"

"The first card he had was like useless," Shaggy finished. His mind went automatically back to the darkly clad figure in the hotel lobby that night before the window had broken. That had to have been Joyce.

"Has there been any news on Ms. Dinkley's condition?" Officer Monroe asked a few moments later.

Shaggy shook his head "She's like still in surgery," Shaggy replied.

Officer Monroe shook his head somberly before he rose to his feet "I just wanted to let you know that Joyce will be going to jail for a long time. We're looking at him for other crimes and his lawyer is advising him to take a plea deal. I have to be going. My superiors need me to check into a few leads on Joyce's recent activities. See you around."

Shaggy waved a wayward goodbye to Officer Monroe before returning to his forlorn position staring at the floor. It had been seven hours since Velma had arrived at the hospital and been taken to surgery. Shaggy wondered how much longer it would be before there was any news. At the moment he had to believe that no news was good news.

It was another two and a half hours before Doctor Garret appeared. Fred and Daphne were both fully awake by then, having had a cup of coffee each from the vending machine in the hallway. Fred shot up immediately and approached the doctor. Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby and Karen were quick to follow.

"First of all," Doctor Garret began "She's lost a lot of blood and eight of her ribs are broken. There was a lot of internal bleeding and her spleen had to be removed," he paused waiting for the information to sink in. Seeing the anxious looks on the faces around him he continued "She came through surgery just fine but she has a long recovery ahead of her. It will be at least another week before she can be released from the hospital."

"But, she's gonna be fine, right?" Shaggy asked nervously.

"It will take time," Doctor Garret stressed "But she will be just fine."

"Can we see her?" Daphne asked.

"She was actually quite insistent on that," Doctor Garret grinned "She'd barely come out of the OR when she was demanding to see the other members of Mystery Inc." Doctor Garret chuckled "She's one persistent young lady."

Fred and Daphne laughed but Shaggy and Scooby who would normally have forced a chuckle in a similar situation simply sighed in relief.

XXX

Velma was lying in a bed in a private room. Her glasses were sitting on the table beside her. The blankets where pulled tight around her so that only her head was showing. The gang was taken aback by how pale she looked. Shaggy was the first to enter the room. He pulled a chair up right by the side of her bed and sat down. He took her hand in his as Scooby dropped into a sitting position by Shaggy's side.

"Ri Velma," Scooby whispered, craning his neck so that he could look directly in her face.

Velma smiled at him "Hey Scooby, hey Shaggy," she whispered.

"Like the rest of the gang's here too," Shaggy told her in a soft voice.

"Hi Fred, hi Daphne," Velma added with a wan smile as her free hand reached for her glasses. After a few seconds of feeling around the side table she located them and put them on.

"Hey Velma," Daphne said as she came further into the room "How are you feeling?"

Fred brought chairs over to the opposite side of the bed from where Shaggy and Scooby were for him and Daphne before taking a seat. He motioned to Daphne to take a seat beside him which she promptly did.

"I've felt better," Velma whispered in a weak sounding voice.

"I bet," Fred remarked. He earned himself 'you're not helping' looks from Shaggy, Daphne and Scooby for those words.

"Like they caught Chuck Joyce," Shaggy told Velma. He had already explained this all to Fred and Daphne earlier.

"That's good," Velma sighed.

"And Brianna, Caleb and Grace's aunt is here," Fred told her "Isn't that great news?" Again Shaggy Daphne and Scooby shot him the 'you're not helping look'. They hadn't wanted to tell Velma about that until a little later.

"Oh," Velma murmured "That's wonderful…" somehow she didn't sound nearly as excited about it as Fred did.

"Yeah," Fred continued, mistaking Velma's non excitement for exhaustion. "Now you don't have to worry about adopting them."

While Daphne and Scooby shot Fred the 'you're not helping' look again Shaggy just glared at him. "Like excuse me," he told Velma as he let go of her hand. He stood up and walked over to where Fred was sitting, yanking him up by his good arm. "Freddy, we like need to have a talk," Shaggy told the other young man as he dragged Fred into the hallway.

Daphne watched Fred and Shaggy leave "Jeepers, what do you think that was about?" she asked.

Velma closed her eyes "I really wanted to adopt those kids," she whispered "You know, I could have made it work."

"I knew you were attached to them," Daphne remarked "But when you said that you wanted to adopt them I just thought that was just you being you, you know, having a plan for everything. I didn't realize how invested you were in the idea."

Velma nodded slowly.

XXX

"Geez Shag," Fred said once they were standing in the hallway.

"You like crossed a line in there Fred," Shaggy told him "Velma really loves those kids and she like wanted to be with them forever. She wanted to be like their family."

Fred looked at his friend "I knew she was attached to them, we all are attached to them but I guess I didn't understand how attached…"

"Like, I guess you didn't," Shaggy replied, folding his arms.

"I just thought that she'd be relieved that they had someone to take care of them who was family," Fred said, feeling horrible about having said what he said to Velma.

"I'm sure she's like happy for them Fred," Shaggy shrugged "But you should have like been there when we did all that research on those adoption sites. She was like so excited about it. She was already like planning everything out."

Fred slumped against a wall "I didn't know she was so vested in this adoption thing…"

"Well, like she was," Shaggy said softly, letting his arms fall to his sides "And, like, so was I…"

XXX

"Well," Karen smiled as she slung one of the bags full of clothes that Shaggy and Velma had bought for the children over her shoulder "It looks like I won't have to do much in the way of shopping when we get back to California," she smiled as Daphne came out of one of the bedrooms carrying a bag of playthings.

"Yeah," Daphne returned Karen's smile "Make sure you take lots of pictures when you do get back."

"I will," Karen promised "We'll make sure to keep in touch…" she paused, looking down at the spot where Velma's blood was still visible on the carpet. The hotel staff had tried to clean it up but the stain stubbornly remained. Even faded it still reminded Karen of how far one of her new friends had been willing to go to protect her nieces and nephew.

Daphne had fallen silent as well, her eyes going to the same spot on the carpet. It had been nearly a week since that afternoon when Shaggy had found Velma lying on the floor so near death. Shaggy and Scooby had refused to set foot in the hotel room since and Daphne didn't blame them. She and Fred had taken up residence in the back of the Mystery Machine rather than be forced to walk past the place where one of their friends had almost died.

Karen had taken the children to a different hotel. Daphne and Karen had come to the room today to pack up the rest of the children's belongings so that they could leave. Karen's car was now repaired and she was eager to get the children back to her home in California and get them settled in.

"I think that's everything," Daphne finally said as she tore her gaze away from the carpet.

"Right," Karen nodded as she also shifted her gaze "Let's get these bags down to the car. I bet Fred is wondering what's taking us so long."

Daphne laughed then "The boy has no idea how to pack," she replied "If it were up to him half of everything he owns would be forgotten at every stop."

Karen giggled "Let's go," she lead the way out of the room and down to where Fred was waiting sitting in the driver's seat of Karen's car, keeping a watch on the three children as they napped in their car seats. Daphne and Karen loaded the bags into the back end of Karen's car before Karen took Fred's place at the wheel of the car "See you at the hospital," she told them. Fred and Daphne got into the Mystery Machine and followed Karen's car.

XXX

Shaggy stood beside Velma as she walked through the halls of the hospital. She was getting used to walking again per doctor's orders and she was finding herself a little shaky. Scooby was stood at her other side, offering support when she wavered in that direction. Velma took a few steps and found herself leaning against Shaggy. Shaggy's arms gently wrapped around her, careful not to hurt her broken ribs.

"Like, maybe that's enough for today?" Shaggy suggested, looking back down the hall in the direction of Velma's room.

"No, I think I have a few more steps in me," Velma replied, in spite of herself moving closer to Shaggy "If I'm gonna get out of here tomorrow I'd better make sure I can make it out of the front door."

Shaggy shook his head but agreed nonetheless "Like just a few more steps," he conceded.

A few more steps turned into the three of them circling all around the floor and ending up at the elevators. Velma paused to rest, leaning on Shaggy for support again. "That's definitely enough for today," she remarked.

"Like, sounds good to me," Shaggy smiled down at her.

Just then the elevator doors opened "Velma!" two little voices squealed as the owners of the voices ran forward to embrace her.

Velma smiled down at Brianna and Caleb "Hi you two," she replied as Shaggy, Scooby and Karen tried to keep the children from causing her any undo discomfort.

"Remember what we talked about?" Karen asked her niece and nephew softly "We have to be gentle because Velma's not feeling well."

Brianna and Caleb nodded before hugging Velma's legs.

Shaggy picked up Caleb and tickled the little boy "Like how are you doing little man?" he asked.

"Good," Caleb replied.

Eventually the group made its way to Velma's room. Shaggy helped Velma back into bed and the others settled themselves around the room. Karen gently placed Grace on Velma's chest before sitting in a nearby chair with Brianna on her lap. Fred and Daphne took seats at the foot of the bed. Shaggy sat in a chair beside the head of Velma's bed with Caleb on his lap. Scooby roamed the room, nuzzling every person in turn as a sort of reassurance to himself.

"So you'll be heading back to California today?" Velma asked sounding a bit saddened.

"Yep," Karen replied "I wanted to get Brianna and Caleb enrolled in school there. Also, my neighbor is having a barbecue tomorrow and she has a daughter Brianna's age."

"So like you'll keep in touch right?" Shaggy inquired.

"Of course," Karen smiled "I'll be sure to send you guys plenty of pictures and I hope you'll come visit us."

"Just try and keep us away," Daphne grinned as Brianna slid off of her aunt's lap and went over to give Scooby a big hug.

Karen and the children stayed for another half hour before it was time to leave. Fred and Daphne walked with them down to Karen's car. Scooby trotted after them in hopes of one final goodbye to the children. This left Shaggy and Velma alone.

"I can't wait to get out of this place," Velma said quietly "I hate hospitals."

Shaggy nodded "Yeah, like me too," he agreed.

Velma turned to look at Shaggy "I'm glad you're here," she said, extending a hand towards him.

Shaggy took her hand and smiled "I like wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he told her.

Velma looked confused for a moment "You just said you hated hospitals."

Shaggy laughed "Velma, you're like the smart one, I like shouldn't have to explain to you that it's being with you that I like even if we're in a hospital."

Velma laughed and hid her face as a blush crept over her cheeks "I guess I should have figured that one out huh?"

"Like, it's okay," Shaggy told her.

Velma grinned, looking up at him again "I can't wait to get home though," she told him.

"Like me either," he replied "So, like I was wondering…" he trailed off.

"What is it Shaggy?" Velma inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Like when we get home…?" Shaggy began "Like, maybe, you could move all of your stuff into my room?"

Velma chuckled "My room is already across the hall from yours," she reminded him.

"Yeah," Shaggy nodded "But like I thought that maybe…" he trailed off.

Velma realized the meaning behind Shaggy's words "Oh…" she murmured "Shaggy, I…" she didn't know how to tell him that she thought things were going too fast.

Shaggy looked away for a moment "Like I thought that…"

Velma felt incredibly awkward "Shaggy," she began "I realy like you a lot… but I really don't feel ready to… you know…"

"Oh," Shaggy exclaimed "No, like I wasn't talking about… I was just like suggesting that we share my room. It's like bigger than yours and Scooby doesn't take up that much space and like…"

Velma sighed in relief "I'll think about it Shaggy," she told him with a smile.

XXX

Velma sat in the back of the Mystery Machine listening to Daphne and Fred arguing. She had just been released from the hospital earlier that day and the gang was ready to head back to Coolsville. Velma closed her eyes and tried to relax.

"You better believe you're not going to be driving with one of your arms still in a cast," Daphne was saying to Fred.

"Well, you can't drive," Fred agrued.

"And why is that?" Daphne asked. Fred opened his mouth to speak but Daphne cut him off "If the next words out of your mouth are 'because you're a girl' you can just walk all the way back to Ohio!"

"That's not what I was going to say," Fred protested "I was going to say that you've never driven the Mystery Machine before."

"Not that you know of," Daphne laughed as she jumped in the driver's seat. Fred begrudgingly took the passenger's seat and they were soon underway.

It was an hour later that Shaggy tapped Velma on the shoulder. She turned to look at him "Like, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"A little sore," she admitted "The pain medication is very helpful though."

Shaggy smiled at her "Like I'm glad that you're not in too much pain." He scooted closer to her and dropped an arm around her waist.

Velma leaned against him and he shifted so that she could be more comfortable. Before she knew it she was asleep. Shaggy looked down at her and smiled. He dropped a kiss to her forehead. Those pain pills must have been pretty strong, he thought to himself as he watched her sleep. Scooby Doo made his way over and nestled himself down beside Velma.

Shaggy smiled to himself. They had come through this vacation a little worse for wear than they usually did but they had come through it just the same. At the end of the day, he still had his friends, his family, and that was all that mattered. He pressed another soft kiss to Velma's forehead as he thought to himself that things could only get better.

**THE END**

**A/N: So that was the end of "Family Matters" I'm currently working on a sequel entitled "Mysteries and Miracles" which will be more along the lines of a regular Scooby Doo episode/movie only with the characters having been changed by the experiences of this story. I don't have an ETA on the sequel but keep an eye out. I'd like to take this time to thank some of my more loyal reviewers. Daphnefred4ever your reviews are so delightful to read and they really bring me a great deal of joy, you're the reason I posted this whole thing in like three days. SpongeAddict, you are a true, blue, loyal reader. RussM, you're encouragement means the world to me. To anyone who I missed, I apologize but I don't always remember everyone off the top of my head.**


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